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God of War was released in 2018 to much fanfare and plaudits. Although the game is the eighth installment in the franchise, it is considered the fourth main entry.
The game sees Kratos move from his home of Sparta and Greek mythology to the realm of Norse tales with the likes of Odin and Freya. With a recent PC release, some players are seeing Kratos in the land of Vikings for the first time.
Like the other main series installments, the 2018 release was developed by Santa Monica Studio. The next iteration, subtitled Ragnarok, will also see Santa Monica Studio at the helm.
God of War is developed by Santa Monica Studio
Santa Monica Studio is a video game developer based in Los Angeles, California. It is a first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment and was founded in 1999 by Allan Becker.
The first game developed by Santa Monica Studio was Kinetica for the PlayStation 2. Released on October 14, 2001, Kinetica was the namesake for the same engine that SOCOM and God of War 1 and 2 would use.
Kinetica is a futuristic racing game where the racers are the vehicles themselves, using suits that come with wheels on the hands and feet. That is a far cry from the bloody Greek mythos that came after.
The studio has an internal development team and an external development team. The internal team is responsible for all main entry games and the prequel title God of War: Ascension.
The external team is more of a publishing group that focuses on other games and independent releases. It played a part in the releases of several Twisted Metal titles, GOW spinoffs, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and The Order: 1886.
Ragnarok is next on the schedule for Santa Monica Studio. It will see a 2022 release, but a specific date has not been given as of yet. Many believe the game will arrive near the holiday season as PlayStation's big exclusive release.
Ragnarok will finalize Kratos' story in Norse Mythology as it takes place three years after the previous game. It will introduce an enraged Thor and continue the feud with Freya.
